Package

ABSTRACT

A package to facilitate the use of squeeze bottles and other dispensers, particularly in the food service industry. The invention is directed to, in particular, a combined bottle liner and food product which includes a liner pouch, a liner fitment, preferably a fitment closure, and a food product contained within the liner pouch. The product of the invention facilitates the use of squeeze bottles for products such as mayonnaise and other dressings in food service by permitting sale of a combined bottle liner and food product to the busy eating establishment. The eating establishment can simply insert the liner into the squeeze bottle or other dispenser and open the closure. A closure is placed on the squeeze bottle and releasably secured to the fitment and the squeeze bottle, after which the squeeze bottle is ready to dispense the product. The invention also concerns the process of using the package in food service.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Dressing such as mayonnaise and salad dressings are popular ascomponents of salads or sandwiches. In some cases, casual eatingestablishments employ squeeze bottles to dispense the dressings. Whilesqueeze bottles are a convenient and effective means for dispensing theproduct, filling and maintaining the squeeze bottles is relatively laborintensive. For instance, when most of the contents have been dispensed,it is generally necessary for an employee manually to scoop replacementproduct out of a large container and funnel it into the squeeze bottle.Also, it is desirable that squeeze bottles are periodically cleaned, forhealth reasons.

Liners have previously been disclosed for use with squeeze bottles. Forinstance, PBM Plastics has disclosed various applications for its meltphase system and billet technology. Among the applications are babybottles, test tubes and consumer squeeze bottle liners. In particular,at its website, a consumer squeeze bottle liner and a squeeze bottlehaving a dispensing and a one way valve to admit air are disclosed.

Package Design Magazine discloses on its website,www.packagedesignmag.com/awards/FDA.shtml accessed on Dec. 13, 2006, theGlenkos performance beverage stand-up pouch, which includes avalve/fitment combination.

Jongen et al., a combined bottle liner and food product, which includesa liner pouch, a liner peripheral sealing area and a food productcontained within the liner pouch. Preferably, the combined bottle linerand food product also includes a closure which includes a sealingsurface which, when upon fastening of the closure, applies pressure tothe sealing surface of the bottle liner. The product of the inventionfacilitates the use of squeeze bottles for products such as mayonnaiseand other dressings in food service by permitting sale of a combinedbottle liner and food product to the busy eating establishment. Theeating establishment can simply insert the liner into the squeeze bottleor other dispenser and remove the liner closure. A bottle closure isplaced on the squeeze bottle and the squeeze bottle is then ready todispense the product.

Various other combinations of external and internal containers aredisclosed in the literature.

Battegazzore EP 510 388 relates to a dispenser of viscous products suchas toothpaste cosmetic creams, food juices and the like in which ancontainer is squeezed to deliver a product and then released. Theproduct is contained within an inner bag. The bags may be replaced asrefills. A one way valve and a vent are provided.

Boll et al. GB 2 253 387 discloses an elastically deformable externalcontainer and an internal container arranged to accommodate the materialto be dispensed. When the outer container is squeezed, the innercontainer is deformed and material is dispensed through a one way valve.When the outer container is released, air flows through a second one wayvalve and maintains the internal container in a deformed state. Theinternal container is extended into a neck-like extension provided atits free end region with a rib. When the closure is fitted into positionthe rib is pressed firmly against the neck of the external container inorder to provide an air-tight closure effect. It is said that the packmay be used for toothpaste, skin cream and the like.

DE 19 737 175 discloses a dispensing vessel for a paste or a viscousfluid. The vessel includes a relatively hard but elastic cylindricalbody and a bag which is connected by an opening in the bottom containinga non-return valve. A cap has a discharge opening in its tip whichincludes a second non-return valve working in the opposite direction tothat of the bottom valve.

Smith et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,007 is directed to a squeezabledispenser having a flexible outer container closed by a top having anopening therein and an inner collapsible flexible fluid containingbladder. A one way flow valve is mounted in the top normally closing offthe opening. A vent in the top provides fluid communication between theinterior of the container and the exterior thereof.

Workum EP 1 090 169 discloses a package which includes an outercontainer and an inner container which includes the product. When theouter container is squeezed a pressure develops and by this pressure acertain amount of the product is forced out of the inner container.

Wagner et al. EP 473 994 is directed to a package with an essentiallydimensionally rigid but elastically deformable external container,within which is an easily deformable internal container. The packageincludes an extraction valve and a ventilation valve.

Evezich EP 352 348 discloses an apparatus for dispensing fluid materialsin a readily deformable inner container which is located within aresilient outer container. A nozzle has a one-way check valve permittingejection of the contents from the inner container. The resilient outercontainer has a second one-way valve to admit air from the exterior ofthe device to the space between the inner and outer containers.

Evezich, U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,416 discloses an inner container locatedwithin an outer container. The inner container includes a first portionhaving a nozzle affixed to one end and a readily reshapable bladder. Thenozzle has a one way check valve permitting ejection of the contentsfrom the inner container. The outer container has a second one wayvalve.

Schwartzman U.S. Pat. No. 3,592,365 is directed to a squeezablecontainer having a bottom secured with a check valve adapted to openwhen the pressure in the container is less than atmospheric. Aninflatable bag is disposed in the container and held in place by a coverdetachably secured thereto. The cover has a dispensing opening with avalve.

US Patent Publication No. US 2003/0155376 is directed to a fluiddispenser including a dispensing member including a neck and a least onedeformable actuating wall. The packaging is connected to the dispensingmember at a fixing apparatus.

Behar et al. FR 2 821 766 is directed to a dispenser for a fluid whichis typically a cosmetic product. The dispenser includes a rigid headwith a channel, valve and outlet, a pouch and an outer compressible bulbwith an air inlet valve. When the bulb is squeezed in the hand, thepouch is compressed and product is expelled. When released, the bulbresumes its original shape by drawing in air through the valve.

Mack et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,213 discloses a dispensing containerproduced from a collapsible inner container surrounded by a resilientouter container. A dispensing check valve is provided in a cap assemblyto allow material to be dispensed without air being drawn into thecontainer.

Kock et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,875 discloses a replaceable innerreceptacle for use in an outer squeeze bottle having a large finish. Theinner receptacle includes a single integral piece flexible bag which isadapted to contain a fluid product. A fitment portion of the innerreceptacle has a flange which is adapted to attach to the finish of theouter bottle and which may contain a vent hole. The vent hole may alsobe located elsewhere. A peelable film tear tab provides a means forinitially sealing the fluid passage of the filled inner receptacle toprevent fluid from exiting the inner receptacle during shipping andhandling. The peelable tear tab is releasably sealed to a flat annularupwardly facing surface of a flared portion of a cylindrical wallportion surrounding the fluid passage. In an alternative configuration,the film may be permanently sealed to the flat annular surface of theflared portion and punctured for use.

Kock et al. disclose a closure which includes a dispensing orifice and aproduct valve. A raised grip portion assists in securing the closure tothe external squeeze bottle. Tightening of the closure seals the flangeto the finish of the external squeeze bottle and also seals a dependingannular wall on the closure to the cylindrical wall of the innerreceptacle. Also, as the annular depending wall is inserted into thefluid passage it could be adapted to puncture any permanently sealedfilm utilized to seal the fluid passage.

Meshberg U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,191 is directed to a dispensing head for asqueeze container. A collapsible bag is disclosed for isolating liquidin the container from air in the container. A gasket sealingly engages adip tube received within and sealed to the collapsible bag. The properangular orientation of the gaskets is maintained by engaging keys inkeyways.

Haviv et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,300 is directed to a closed system fordispensing fluid, where the fluid is maintained free of anycontamination. The importance of maintaining the sterility of certainfluids such as drugs, pharmaceuticals, liquid foodstuffs, beverages andthe like is mentioned in the background section in connection with U.S.Pat. No. 5,846,810 which is cited as disclosing the ReSeal valve whichmay be used by Haviv et al. Haviv et al.'s fluid dispensing unitincludes a hollow support with a reservoir or container located withinthe support. The reservoir is in the form of a flexible bag. Thecontainer includes a one-way valve for dispensing fluid.

Van Coney EP 305 003 is directed to a resilient squeeze bottle packagefor dispensing viscous products such as toothpaste. The viscous productis contained in a thin, flexible bag which is suspended inside aresilient squeeze bottle.

Other packages in the literature, which may include collapsible internalbags, include Loeffler U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,476, Bouet FR 2 081 244,Eluere FR 2 094 286, Krishna et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,534, Kersten etal. EP 576 916, Yamawaki et al. EP 548 840, Piarrat EP 494 132, FR 2 655315, and Seidler WO 93/14021. Evezich, U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,018, Evezich,U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,937, Schroeder, U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,845, Hennesseyet al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,789,704, CA 1332591, Evezich, U.S. Pat. No.4,469,250, Gay III, et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0029285.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a package to facilitate the use ofsqueeze bottles and other dispensers, particularly in the food serviceindustry. The invention is directed to, in particular, a liner for abottle, which liner includes a liner pouch, and a fitment attached toone end of said pouch. The fitment is adapted to be fastened, directlyor indirectly, to a bottle. For instance, the fitment may includeexternal threads which mate with internal threads on a bottle closure.The fitment is not permanently connected to a dispensing spout, so thatthe liner, including the fitment, can be discarded without sacrificingthe dispensing spout. The dispensing spout can then be re-used. Theinterior of said fitment is in fluid communication with the interior ofsaid liner pouch so that product contained within the pouch can flow outof said pouch through the interior of said fitment.

The liner is preferably used by inserting it into the interior of abottle. A bottle closure is releasably fastened to the liner fitment andthe bottle closure is also releasably fastened to the bottle. Forinstance, the liner fitment may include external threads which mate withinternal threads lining a dispensing nozzle in the closure. Or, thefitment may be snap fit into the base of the nozzle. Alternatively, amale member may extend downwardly from the bottle closure and isreceived with a snap fit in the fitment of the pouch. Or, screw threadson a downwardly extending member on the closure and on the fitment maybe used to secure them together. The bottle closure can be releasablyfastened to the bottle as by internal threads on the closure which matewith external threads on the bottle.

Whatever the exact arrangement adopted, the interior of the liner pouchwill be in fluid communication through the liner fitment with thedispensing spout of the bottle closure when any closure for the pouchfitment is removed so that product can be expelled from the interior ofthe pouch through the dispensing spout of the bottle closure.Preferably, the dispensing spout includes a one way dispensing nozzleand the bottle includes a one way valve which permits air to enter thebottle from the outside when product is dispensed through the dispensingspout.

In a preferred embodiment, the liner pouch contains an edible material,i.e., a food such as mayonnaise, and can be sold as a replacement. Inthis embodiment, the fitment may include a closure. Thus, instead oflaboriously cleaning out the container relatively frequently, the foodis contained within the pouch which can be used easily to replace thenearly empty pouch previously used. The product of the inventiontherefore facilitates the use of squeeze bottles for products such asmayonnaise and other dressings in food service by permitting sale of acombined bottle liner and food product to the busy eating establishment.The eating establishment can simply insert the liner into the squeezebottle or other dispenser and remove the liner closure. A bottle closureis placed on the squeeze bottle and the squeeze bottle is then ready todispense the product. The invention is also directed to the use ofliners and/or squeeze bottles in food service in the dispensing ofdressings and other liquid and semi-liquid products.

When all or most of the food product has been dispensed, the employeesimply removes the closure from the squeeze bottle or other container,disconnects the fitment on the flexible pouch/liner from the closure,and removes the liner/pouch containing the fitment. This leaves a cleansqueeze bottle ready to receive an additional liner pouch filled withthe food product. After the liner pouch is inserted into the bottle andthe liner closure is opened, the fitment is releasably secured to thebottle closure, for instance by screw threads, and the bottle closurecan be releasably secured to the squeeze bottle, which is again readyfor use.

The liner may be made in accordance with the melt phase billettechnology, aluminum or other foil, or a monolayer or laminate plasticstructure. The closure for the fitment may be a film or it may be aplastic structure, e.g., a cap. For instance, to open the plasticfitment, the user will either peel or puncture a film, cut off the top,twist off the top or puncture the plastic at the top of the fitment. Thebottle which is to contain the pouch is preferably a squeeze bottle.

The invention is also directed to the use of liners and/or squeezebottles in food service in the dispensing of dressings and other liquidand semi-liquid products. The liner containing the food product and aclosure can be sold to a purveyor of ready-to-eat foods, who can insertthe liner into an empty squeeze bottle and use the thus-filled squeezebottle to prepare ready-to-eat foods for sale to customers.

For a more complete description of the above and other features andadvantages of the invention, reference should be made to the followingdescription of the preferred embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective, exploded view of a liner with fitment, shownwith the bottle closure, in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of two alternative bottle liners with analternative fitment according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of two further alternative bottle linersfilled with product and showing particularly the end opposite thefitment end;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternative form of liner inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a liner, fitment and bottle closure inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective, exploded view of a bottle including a bottleclosure and liner according to the invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a liner and bottle showing analternative closure.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a fitment closure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Liner 10 comprises product receiving pouch 12 and fitment 14. Liner 10may be made of a material suitable to contain food and to be placedwithin an outer container. For example, it may be polyethylene, a foilor a laminate. One such laminate could be 48 gauge Oriented PolyPropylene/Ink/7.0 lbs/ream White Low Density PolyethyleneCoextruded/28.5 gauge Aluminum foil/14 lbs/ream linear low densitypolyethylene sealant. Fitment 14 is preferably made of a durable plasticsuch as polypropylene or a form of polyethylene, such as high densitypolyethylene. Fitment 14 must be capable of attaching to the liner andpermitting product to flow through it. Fitment 14 does not include apermanent dispensing spout or nozzle. In particular, fitment 14 does notinclude a one way dispensing nozzle.

As seen in FIG. 2, the liner 10 may be formed as a 4-sided sealed pouchhaving four heat sealed areas, 51, 53, 55 and 59. Two sheets of film maybe superimposed on each other and then sealed on 4 sides to form pouch10′ as illustrated. Alternatively, a sheet of film may be folded onitself and its free ends heat sealed together at fin 11, while the sides13 and 15 are also sealed. Sealing is preferably effected by imposingheat and pressure to form a heat seal. In FIG. 3, liner 10 b is filledwith product

As seen in FIG. 3, liner 10 a can also be sealed in part using a metalclamp 19. The liners illustrated in FIG. 3 are similar to packages knownin the art for containing cookie dough and the like. The pouch/linerwould be heat and pressure sealed along the long part of the pouch. Oneend would be sealed with the fitment in place and the other end openuntil it is filled with product, and then twisted and sealed with heatand pressure. Use of the clamp may be required if the seal after fillingwith product is not strong enough on its own to survive transportationand handling.

The fitment 14 can be applied by sliding it down a track and attachingit with heat and pressure so that it adheres to the inside of the pouch.The fitment can be pre-applied by the pouch or film vendor or can beapplied at the site where the edible contents of the pouch are prepared.

An alternative pouch 10 c is seen in FIG. 4. This pouch is formed so itis self-supporting, i.e., a “stand up pouch,” which may have a gussetedbottom 23.

The pouches may be filled with edible product at the end opposite to thefitment end, if desired. This will be preferred for the 4-sided and finseal pouches.

After filling with mayonnaise product 16, liner 10 has applied theretofitment 14. The food establishment can insert liner 10 into an emptysqueeze bottle such as squeeze bottle 20 having valve 22. Squeeze bottle20 also includes threads 26 or other fastening means to accommodate andseal a closure thereon.

Once liner 10 has been inserted into squeeze bottle 20, or other outercontainer, liner fitment closure 18 can be removed.

The next step is releasable attachment of the fitment 14 to bottleclosure 30, which serves the multiple purposes of securing the fitment14 and liner 10 indirectly to bottle 20, and of closing bottle 20. Theclosure 30 can be made of HDPE, LDPE, PP or other thermoplastic or othermaterials.

Closure 30 includes a dispensing spout 32, which is preferably a one waydispensing nozzle, which is preferably lined in its lower aspects with aconnecting means such as internal threads 31 to releasably fastenfitment 14 to closure 30. Preferably the closure/dispensing spout willbe a one-piece plastic structure. The closure 30 and the one waydispensing valve 32, which can be made of a soft rubber material, can bemanufactured separately and then manually assembled. Nozzle 32 may becone shaped, as illustrated in FIG. 6. Cone-shaped spout 32 tapersoutwardly and downwardly to end in horizontal disc-shaped wall 33. Sidewall 35 extends downwardly from wall 33 and has threads 37 on itsinside, which mate with external threads 26 on the bottle 20.

Fitment 14 may be received within spout 32 of closure 30 or the closuremay include a male member 39 to be received within fitment 14.Alternatively, fitment 14 may be received within a female memberdepending from closure 30. Especially where the connector between thefitment and the closure 30 is a downwardly depending male or femalemember, the closure 30 can be dual injection molded with a soft rubbermaterial to form the one way dispensing valve 32.

As seen in FIG. 7, a donut shaped connector 60 having internal centralthreads for connecting to the fitment and internal peripheral threadsfor connecting to the bottle may be used to connect the fitment andliner to the bottle. In any of the embodiments of the invention, thefitment may include an alternative fastener or connector to connect withthe bottle closure 20. For instance, in FIG. 7 a lock snap mechanismusing lugs 62 is shown.

Bottle 20 is preferably a squeeze bottle and is preferably made of aresilient material. The squeeze bottle can be made of HDPE, LDPE, PET orother thermoplastic or other materials.

When it is desired to dispense product, squeeze bottle 20 is invertedand pressure is manually applied to sidewalls 34. Application ofpressure causes mayonnaise and/or other food product contained withinliner 10 to emerge through one way dispensing valve 32. When the dosingof product is completed and the pressure is released, the walls of thesqueeze bottle 20 return to their original shape thus pulling outsideair in through one way valve 22 to replace the volume of product whichhas been dispensed. One way valve 22 leads to the chamber locatedbetween liner 10 and squeeze bottle 20. Air drawn into this chamber doesnot come in contact with the product.

When the product has been fully (or almost fully) dispensed from squeezebottle 20, closure 30 is unscrewed or otherwise removed from the squeezebottle, and liner 10 is readily removed from the closure by unscrewingit (where screw threads are used) or otherwise undoing the releasablefastening means. This leaves a squeeze bottle 20 which requires littleor no cleaning and which is ready to receive the next insert filled withproduct. Also, the closure 30, which is a relatively expensive componentdue to presence of the spout, can be reused. This also minimizes solidwaste. While the closure 30 is illustrated as have screw threads to bereleasably fastened to the fitment 14 and to the bottle 20, otherfasteners such as protuberances and detents and the lugs shown in FIG.7, useful in a snap-closed arrangement, or indeed other releasablefastening arrangements, may be employed.

The liners can be used to contain a wide variety of food products, suchas mayonnaise, salad dressings, other dressings, and condiments such asketchup and mustard. The liners can also contain savory products whichare either shelf stable, retorted or aseptically filed. Finished saucessuch as Hollandaise, Demi Glaze or Cheese sauce can be packaged in thisliner as well.

Liner 10 is preferably inserted by hand into squeeze bottle 20. Onceliner 10 has been inserted into bottle 20, closure 30 is releasablyfastened to the fitment and the closure is then releasably fastened tothe bottle.

Upon exertion of pressure upon the outside wall of squeeze bottle 20,product 60 flows from the interior of liner 10 through fitment 14 andout through one way valve 32. To compensate for the volume of productwhich is expelled through valve 32, one way valve 22 shown in FIG. 6 atwhat is normally the bottom of the squeeze bottle, permits air to enterthe bottle (one way). Air thus entering the bottle will remain betweenthe outside of the liner 10 and the inner wall of squeeze bottle 20.

Valves of the type shown as 32 may be obtained from ASEPT InternationalAB of Lund, Sweden.

The squeeze bottle may include outer surfaces appropriately contoured ortextured to facilitate gripping by the user. Food-containing liner 10,e.g., as seen in FIG. 3, may be sold as a food service item to foodpreparation establishments such as fast food and other restaurants,deli's, cafeterias and hospitals, where it can be inserted into asqueeze bottle and easily prepared for use by screwing a closure ontothe fitment and the bottle. The closure can be unscrewed and the linerreadily removed and replaced once the product has been depleted.

It will be appreciated that the liner and food product of the inventiongreatly facilitates refilling and cleaning of squeeze bottles and othercontainers. While the invention has been illustrated using a squeezebottle as an outer container, it will be apparent that other outercontainers may be used within the purview of this invention.

It should be understood of course that the specific forms of theinvention herein illustrated and described are intended to berepresentative only, as certain changes may be made therein withoutdeparting from the clear teaching of the disclosure. Accordingly,reference should be made to the following appended claims in determiningthe full scope of the invention.

1. A liner for a bottle, which liner comprises: (a) a liner pouch, and(b) a fitment attached to one end of said pouch, said fitment beingsuitable to be fastened, directly or indirectly, to a bottle, saidfitment not being permanently connected to a dispensing spout, theinterior of said fitment being in fluid communication with the interiorof said liner pouch whereby product contained within said pouch can flowout of said pouch through the interior of said fitment.
 2. The lineraccording to claim 1 wherein the pouch is heat sealed on four sides. 3.The liner according to claim 1 wherein the pouch is heat sealed on twosides.
 4. The liner according to claim 1 wherein said pouch has a secondend and the pouch is crimped with a clamp at said second end.
 5. Theliner according to claim 4 wherein said clamp is made from metal.
 6. Theliner according to claim 1 wherein said pouch is self supporting so thatit can stand on a second end of said pouch.
 7. The liner according toclaim 6 wherein said self-supporting pouch includes a gusseted bottom atsaid second end.
 8. The liner according to claim 1 in combination with abottle and a bottle closure, said liner being contained within saidbottle, said bottle closure including a dispensing spout in fluidcommunication with said fitment and said pouch interior, said closurebeing releasably fastened to said fitment and to said bottle.
 9. Thecombined liner, bottle and bottle closure according to claim 8 whereinsaid dispensing spout includes a one way dispensing nozzle.
 10. Thecombined liner, bottle and bottle closure according to claim 8 whereinsaid closure is releasably fastened to said fitment with screw threads.11. The combined liner, bottle and bottle closure according to claim 8wherein said closure is releasably fastened to said fitment with a lugand detent.
 12. The combined liner, bottle and bottle closure accordingto claim 8 wherein said closure is releasably fastened by a snap fit.13. The combined liner, bottle and bottle closure according to claim 8wherein said closure includes a male member received within said fitmentwhen said closure is releasably fastened to said fitment.
 14. Thecombined liner, bottle and bottle closure according to claim 9 whereinsaid bottle includes a one way valve permitting air to enter the bottleas product is dispensed through the dispensing nozzle.
 15. The liner,bottle and bottle closure according to claim 8 in combination with anedible material contained within said liner.